


Cheer-Crossed

by Integral_of_Awesome



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alliteration, F/F, Rivals, Truly Unnecessary Amounts of Alliteration, cheerleading
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-05
Updated: 2014-08-05
Packaged: 2018-02-12 00:07:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2088132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Integral_of_Awesome/pseuds/Integral_of_Awesome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jessica Jameson of the Pepperton Hot Peppers meets Mindy Miller of the Paperton Pipin' Pipers at the first game of football season and, really, it's all downhill from there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Tale of Two Podunk Towns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pepperton and Paperton were once one and the same.

Cheer is passion; cheer is spirit; cheer is life.

Well, Jessica didn't take it quite that seriously, but she was alternate captain of the Pepperton High School Hot Peppers, and she proudly dawned the sleek black uniform every game day, pre-game day, post-game day, prime numbered day, school spirit day, Wednesday, and -- okay, she proudly dawned the sleek black uniform everyday. It was her privilege as a lettering senior to display her school spirit as frequently as she pleased, and the red accents brought out the green in her eyes. It wasn't as if Vicky Vanderson, Hot Peppers captain and Jessica's best friend, didn't wear hers just as often. 

The Pepperton Hot Peppers were one of the best cheerleading squads in the state of Indiana, and they cheered for one of the best football teams, too. Being a Hot Pepper was more than a hobby, it was a badge of honor. She always got $5 off on any purchase over $20 at the minimart.

Pepperton's only real competition were the insufferable Paperton Pipin' Pipers. Once upon a time, Pepperton and Paperton were one and the same. Pepperton of old grew the best hot peppers in all of Indiana, which wasn't saying an awful lot, but nothing said an awful lot in Indiana, and they bought the paper to package their peppers from the paper factory in the southern half of town. Then, one fateful day, the future Papertonians had flat-out refused to sell their paper at a discounted rate. They had claimed that the Peppertonians were abusing the power of the pepper plant to perpetuate of the wealth of Pepperton without distributing it to the people of south Pepperton, and thusly the people of southern Pepperton declared themselves on strike.

The Peppertonians were, of course, furious with that turn of events, and a mass of Peppertonians took up arms and marched toward the southern half of town. The Papertonians-to-be saw this procession and grabbed weapons of their own, rushing out of their houses to meet the Peppertonians at the future border between the towns. The entire skirmish very nearly turned into a bloodbath, with people from both sides yelling furiously and shake their fists in rage. The line held for two days and nights before the Mayor of Pepperton petitioned to meet with a representative from the protestors of Paperton if the townsfolk would all return to their respective homes.

So, the Mayor of Pepperton locked himself in a room with Peter Paddinger, well loved manager of the paper factory and coach of the local baseball team. They boarded up the windows and locked the doors, and no one heard from either man for three full days and nights. Rumors ran rampant through town, and before long most everyone was convinced that the two men had actually killed each other inside that little room. Yet then, early in the morning on the fourth day, when the light of dawn was just starting to trickle into town, both men emerged, alive and unscathed, with a declaration that Pepperton and Paperton would official be split.

Of course, that all happened 100 years ago, but present day Peppertonians and Papertonians didn't get along much better. They'd be fighting over state championships in all categories -- from academic tests to diving -- but the greatest rivalry by far was between the two football teams. Football games between the Pepperton Hot Peppers and the Paperton Pipin' Pipers could get brutal, and Jessica hated the Papertonians just as much as any good Peppertonian would.

Little could Jessica have guessed while tying her straight, dark hair back into a neat ponytail in preparation for the first football game of her senior year that her life was about to be turned upside down.


	2. Give Me an F

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Those fugly fools are going to fail so fudging hard tonight. Jessie, babe, this is our year.”
> 
> Jessica rolled her eyes but didn’t fight the smile that spread across her face. “Yeah, fuck ‘em.”

“Those fugly fools are going to fail so fudging hard tonight,” Vicky fervently declared when she sat down to lunch on the Friday of the first football game of the year. “Jessie, babe, this is our year.”

Jessica rolled her eyes but didn’t fight the smile that spread across her face. “Yeah, fuck ‘em.”

Vicky glared at Jessica and spat, “Language.” In truth, Vicky was more fouled-mouthed than anyone Jessica knew, but now that she was captain of the cheer squad, class president, and fore-runner for both Homecoming Queen and Valedictorian, she thought she should, quote, “set a good example.” Jessica thought she was ridiculous.

“Besides,” Vicky continued, “I’m serious. This is _our year_. Those Pipers do not stand a chance. We’re going to crush them.”

Nobody hated the Paperton Pipin’ Pipers more than Vicky. Her family had actually lived in Paperton until Vicky was 13, but then her dad lost his job and the only job he could get was on the other side of town, in Pepperton, so Vicky transferred. It had been hard for Vicky to be “that black cheerleader,” but it would have been impossible for her to be “that black cheerleader from _Paperton_ ,” so Vicky threw herself head first into the rivalry.

“You have no idea,” Vicky would say. “They’re all such self-righteous assholes, every one of them. I’m so glad I’m here now.” At first it was just a charade to make the other kids like her, but somewhere along the way her own insecurities fused with her feelings about Paperton, and Vicky started believing every word she said.

Watching Vicky fume over the rivalry, though, Jessica was just trying hard not to laugh. “Yes, _our year_. If you’ve said it once, you’ve said it a thousand times. Except, I think you actually have said it a thousand times.”

“Whatever. You’re just jealous ‘cause you don’t have my talent for foresight.” Vicky smiled over Jessica’s shoulder with a little twinkle wave of her fingers that Jessica could only assume was for her “constituents.”

“Speaking of, remember how I had the _foresight_ to warn you last month that I would be late to the game tonight?” Jessica asked, hoping that Vicky was distracted enough to give her a pass without much thought. No luck.

“I thought that was a joke.”

“Why would that be a joke? It’s not even funny.”

Vicky’s eyes were Bambi big. “You have a terrible sense of humor, and I foolishly assumed that you could never be serious about missing the first game of the football season against _Paperton_ of all people.”

This was probably a sign that Jessica needed to pick better friends. “It’s not even a real football game. —” cue insulted, exaggerated scoff “— It’s a pre-season game to fuel the rivalry and sell concessions. Besides, I’ll get there before you’ve done any actual cheering, and my mom will kill me if I don’t pick up my grandma from the airport.”

Vicky still seemed unimpressed by Jessica’s reasoning, but she also definitely looked like she was going to give her a pass. “I’ll let you know that the only reason I’m tolerating this digression is because you’re grandma makes the most delicious oatmeal raisin cookies I’ve ever eaten.”

Jessica smiled and bumped her shoulder against Vicky’s. “You can come over tomorrow and we’ll help her whip up a batch.”

***

Jessica left straight from school to drive to the airport, cursing small-town Indiana where the closest airport was _an hour_ away. It was worth the drive to see her grandmother standing on the curb with her weathered suitcase at her feet. Jessica swerved her car up to the curb, ignoring the blaring horn behind her as she jumped out and swept her grandmother up in a hug.

“Oh, my _adora-tina_ , come here, come here. How have you been? Have you been eating? Your mother doesn’t feed you. How is school? How is the college search? Was traffic bad? Traffic is always so _bad_ ,” Jessica’s grandmother chattered excitedly, leaving no pause between questions for Jessica to answer, although Jessica would never let that stop her from trying.

“Gramma Nonna!” Jessica began, talking over her grandmother just as quickly as her grandmother was talking over her, “I’m so happy you're back. Please say you’ll be staying for longer this time, and anyway, then you could be sure I’m eating enough. Although, I promise I won’t let you down on that front. And school has just started, really, it’s not as if I’ll have anything to tell you. Traffic was fine, but if you dare mention the college search to mom, I will find the worst traffic that Indiana has to offer and _take you there_. Don’t put it past me.”

Jessica’s grandmother released her with a pat on the cheek as she ambled over and into the car. “You are my light, but you talk so much. Come on, _adora-tina_ , we can talk while we drive,” she called over her shoulder just before slamming the door closed.

Jessica grinned and slid across the roof of her car just ‘cause she _could_. She heard her grandmother scoff from through the glass of the windshield, but Jessica could care less. Everything was coming up roses. Maybe Vicky was right; maybe this really was their year.


End file.
